banana & chai masala biscuits

Summer is here in full glory with the heat and humidity forcing one to turn down the air-condiitoning and add a fan or two to cool things down. Cooking has been a chore and baking has been almost non-existent.  So it seems contraditory to be posting a baking recipe but I had made these a while back and have been thinking of them so often, I figured that at the very least, I would write down the recipe so that when the temperatures cool a bit or if I suddenly find myself with overripe bananas, I know what to do!

Somewhere between a Southern buttermilk biscuit and a scone, these not-too-sweet treats have become almost as dear to me as banana bread.  Lighter than a scone, eggless and not quite as fluffy as a biscuit, they are nonetheless delicious. And most importantly, they have bananas which I find so comforting in baked goods….fills the house with a wonderful aroma and makes all seem right with the world again 🙂

These come together fairly quickly and the whole wheat flour makes them pretty hearty.  I used white whole wheat flour that is slightly sweeter than regular whole-wheat but I am sure regular whole-wheat flour would be perfectly fine too.  And I added just a small amount of my current favorite sweetener, jaggery.   Coconut or maple sugar would be great too.

I usually have my small marble mortar-pestle on the kitchen counter right by the stove so that I can pound a fresh batch of chai-masala every time I am craving some.  And instead of reaching for the cardamom that I had originally planned on adding to the dough, I reached for some of the freshly made masala which gave the scones a delightfully spicy kick.  You can also substitute some other spice blends like pumpkin pie spice, quatre epices etc.  A light sprinkle of raw sugar before they head to the oven gives the crust a lovely crunch and I urge you not to skip this step.

And just to up the spicy kick, I also made some chai-siced butter to slather on top of the scones and a very light drizzle of honey on top just took it to a whole new level!

And now I suddenly feel like having some with a cup of tea so it might be time to thaw some of those frozen bananas I had saved for just a day like this!  It’s a good thing they bake beautifully in my toaster oven too so I just might whip up a small batch and set some water to boil.  Teatime is starting to look really good 🙂

Banana & Chai Masala Biscuits

Print Recipe

Makes five to six 3-inch scones

2 cups white whole-wheat flour or plain whole-wheat flour
2 tbsp powdered jaggery (or coconut sugar/maple sugar/brown sugar)
1 tsp chai masala
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
5 tbsp butter, chilled
1/8 cup buttermilk
1/8 cup whole milk
2 medium bananas, mashed
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Some raw sugar for sprinkling on top

Chai-spiced butter:

4 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp chai-masala

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix the whole-wheat flour, jaggery, chai-masala, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.  Stir with a fork until well blended.

Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and then rub it into the flour to give a sandy texture.

In another bowl, add the mashed bananas, buttermilk, milk and vanilla extract.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients to make a dough.  It will feel a bit sticky but manageable when you sprinkle some dry flour on top.  If it feels too sticky, add a couple of tbsp of flour.

Lightly flour the counter or a surface and pat the dough into a circle that is the thickness of the cutter you will be using.  Dust the surface with some flour too.

Dip the cutter in flour and cut out the scones.   Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 18-20 mins.

Turn off the oven and let the scones stay in for another five minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack.  Let them cool completely.

Serve with some chai-spiced butter and honey.

For the butter, mix the softened butter and chai masala in a small bowl.

*  These taste best when freshly baked but you can store them in the freezer for a few weeks.